Vojtěch Birnbaum: The Principle of Art

12. 1. - 7. 3. 2017

On the
occasion of the 140th anniversary of the birth of Vojtěch Birnbaum
(1877–1934), the Art Archive presents this important Czech art historian and
pioneer of scientific exploration of art. He is seen as the founder of research
into Czech art, especially in the area of Medieval architecture, and someone
who was capable of a scientific perspective on a European level. In
professional circles, he is similarly appreciated for historical preservation
activities, primarily involving efforts to preserve the context of works of
art.

Vojtěch Birnbaum: The Principle of Art focuses on Birnbaum’s thoughts
regarding the laws and principles of art, particularly as he observed and
described them during the 1920s and 1930s. Vojtěch Birnbaum’s position as a
theoretician focused on questions of development of art in the more general
sense of the word had long remained outside the scope of interest of
professional circles.

This exhibit thus aims to examine precisely this area of
Birnbaum’s work, which seems to be fundamental to comprehending his opinions
regarding art, especially on the topic of Medieval architecture. The exhibition
thus tracks the roots of Birnbaum’s theoretical work within the broader context
of European art historical and philosophical thinking, as well as trying to
intimate the effect of his formulation of “development” in art on the next
generation of art historians that were formative personalities in the field.